Ace Clayton Kershaw gives back with backpacks

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is giving Los Angeles area kids a boost to start their school year.

Working with The Dream Center for the fourth year in a row, Kershaw led the charge in donating back-to-school items for its Back to School Backpack Bash over the weekend.

According to CBS Los Angeles, it’s the second year in which the pitcher’s foundation, Kershaw’s Challenge, has fundraised money for all of the supplies.

“School’s not cheap,” said Kershaw. “There’s a lot of things you need to help with your education. If we can do a little part in that to help out that’s great for us.

“Hopefully if you have the right equipment and supplies, you can get off on the right foot in the school year.”

Kershaw’s Challenge will also be working with The Dream Center in 2017 to support the Foster Care Intervention Program, according to the foundation’s website.

The Back to School bash is held every year right before the school year begins—we even had the privilege of being part of it in 2016. The Dream Center uses this fun event to invite children and families to prepare for a new school year in a fun and safe way. The event is a carnival-like atmosphere, created with families in mind, and it sends each child home with a backpack filled with essential school supplies. For many, these might be the only supplies they will receive in the year. We believe, along with the Dream Center, that education is a powerful tool of change in Los Angeles.